The next round of fourth-generation mobile phone services could be launched in Britain as early as next June, Ofcom has announced.

EE will have rival 4G suppliers by next summer (Picture: PA)

It means more people using laptops, tablets and phones while on the move should get browsing speeds as fast as those on fixed lines at home.

Frontrunners including Vodafone, Telefonica and 3 have until December 11 to bid for a place on the 4G mobile spectrum and must pay a £100,000 deposit ahead of an expected auction in the new year.

The sale is expected to raise a minimum of £1.3billion, much less than the £22.5billion gained by selling 3G frequencies during the dotcom boom in 2000.

‘Today marks an important shift from preparation to the delivery of the auction, which will see widespread 4G mobile services from a range of providers,’ Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards said yesterday.

‘The entire industry is now focused on the auction itself, with a shared goal of delivering new and improved mobile services for consumers.’

EE, the owner of T-Mobile and Orange, is currently the only mobile operator that can offer 4G capability.